


New Year, New Partner

by StaceyB19



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Basement, Challenges, FBI, New Year's Eve, New Years, Office Party, Spooky, new partner, spooky mulder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:48:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29243844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StaceyB19/pseuds/StaceyB19
Summary: He knew he was in trouble. She was the perfect combination of smart, sexy, stubborn and vulnerable. He knew she would challenge him in ways he hadn’t even thought possible…and he was a sucker for a challenge.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 2





	New Year, New Partner

**Author's Note:**

> Also uploaded to another fanfiction site under name SpnStacie

Mulder glanced around at the party-goers and idly wondered why he had agreed to this. He hated attending office parties at the best of times, but it was even worse at New Year when the FBI hired out a huge function room in the city’s biggest hotel and allowed agents to bring their partners. It was a stark reminder of the fact that he was still the most unpopular, and still very much single, agent in the bureau. He had tried to get out of it this year but at the last minute Danny, one of the agents who didn’t actually tease or mock him, had persuaded him to go.

“Mulder, you made it. I wondered if you were actually going to show.” Danny chuckled as he handed Mulder a beer.

“Thanks.” Mulder accepted the beer. “I made it, but I’m wondering why I let you talk me into this.”

“Come on, it’s the end of the year and the bureau’s paying. Surely that makes it worth it.” He winked.

Mulder laughed and nodded. “Maybe.”

Before he could continue, Frank Peyton, an agent from the Violent Crimes Unit, walked over to them. “Well I have to say I’m surprised to see Spooky Mulder here.” He smiled at the younger man but there was no warmth in it.

“Peyton.” Mulder nodded and forced a smile onto his lips.

“They let you outta the basement for the night huh?”

“Guess so.” He really didn’t want to start a fight, and he was used to the way people spoke of and to him now.

“Come on Frank, lay off.” Danny shot him a warning look.

Frank held his hands up in surrender. “I’m just saying, I didn’t think this was your scene.”

Mulder opened his mouth to speak but stopped as Skinner’s secretary, Arlene, tapped on the microphone on the small stage. “Okay everyone, it’s karaoke time!” Arlene’s cheerful voice was a little slurred, it didn’t take much to make her tipsy and in the short time he had been here Mulder had seen her make her way through two and half glasses of something fizzy in a champagne flute.

“Shit, Arlene is tanked.” Frank laughed as Arlene started to bumble her way through a rendition of ‘Mamma Mia’.

“Someone’s going to have a sore head in the morning.” Danny chuckled.

“Here’s hoping she doesn’t wake up next to Skinner.” Frank waggled his eyebrows.

“Oh, there’s an image I didn’t want or need tonight. Thank you.” Danny shook his head in amusement as Mulder chuckled, glad of the sudden topic change.

“Are you getting up singing Spooky?” Frank looked at Mulder and couldn’t help but tease, “You could sing ‘Zero Zero UFO’ by the Ramones. Or ‘I’ve Seen The Saucers’ by Elton John.”

Mulder had finally had enough. “Sure, and when I’m done you can sing ‘Creep’ by Radiohead.”

“Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?” Frank’s eyes narrowed.

“What’s the matter Peyton, touched a nerve?” Mulder stared intently at him.

“You’re an asshole Mulder. There’s a reason they put you in the basement.” Looking at Danny, he said, “I’ll catch you later.” As he walked away, he muttered something under his breath but Mulder didn’t catch it.

Danny couldn’t help but sigh as he looked back at Mulder. “You still struggle playing nice.”

“Depends who I’m playing with.”

**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

As the woman on the stage started singing along to ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!’ by ABBA, Mulder couldn’t help but liken her rendition to that of Cher. She was actually a pretty good singer, and she looked really good in the long emerald dress she was wearing. It had a dangerously low back and hugged her waist, flaring into a fishtail at the bottom. The front of it was high necked and it had long sleeves, a mixture of classy and sexy at the same time. Her long medium-brown hair fell in curls around her shoulders and the lights on the stage bounced off her copper highlights.

Mulder practically blushed as her chocolate, gold-flecked eyes fell on him and she continued to sing, “Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight. Won't somebody help me chase the shadows away? Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight. Take me through the darkness to the break of the day.”

Taking a sip of his beer, he couldn’t look away. He’d never seen her before but damn would he like to see her again. He was caught staring by Danny, who smirked and asked, “Having a nice time?”

Mulder twisted to look at him with a guilty expression on his face. “I was just…uh…”

“Relax. Can’t say I blame you, she’s hot.”

“Who is she?”

“Not sure. I think she works in the Counterterrorism Division.”

“She does.” Jerry Colton, who also worked in the Counterterrorism Division and had overheard them, nodded. “I think she’s the youngest member of the team, she’s twenty four, twenty five, something like that. Can’t say I know her that well to be honest.”

Danny couldn’t help but ask, “Is she single?”

Jerry shrugged. “I don’t think so. There’s a picture on her desk of her, a man and a kid…cute family.”

Mulder felt a little deflated, something he tried to hide. He knew he had failed when Danny quipped, “Bad luck Mulder.”

“Even if she were single, I think she’s a bit outta your league.” Jerry shot him a sympathetic look and quickly added, “No offence.”

“None taken, you’re probably right.” As he looked back at the stage, he nodded. Who wanted to actively spend time with ‘Spooky Mulder’?

“What we staring at?” Steve Roberts, Kersh’s secretary, joined the group.

“She works in the Counterterrorism Division. I might request a transfer.” Danny chuckled.

As Steve looked at the stage, he nodded. “Agent Dalloway.”

“You know her?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “Nice girl. Her mom’s Indian, makes a mean chicken curry.” The three men stared at him with raised eyebrows and he shrugged. “We’re friends, we go out for drinks after work sometimes.”

Jerry eyed him suspiciously. “I thought she was married.”

“Hey, there’s nothing going on between us. We’re just friends.” As an afterthought he added, “She isn’t married though. She spends a lot of time with her brother and his daughter, cute kid.”

Mulder should have been happy at that revelation, but Jerry was right, she was out of his league.

**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

“Excuse me, are you waiting to be served?” Rhadika looked up at Mulder and waited. When he didn’t answer her, she gently tapped his arm to get his attention.

“Sorry?” He hadn’t been listening and offered her a sheepish smile. “Did you say something?”

Chuckling, she nodded. “I asked if you were waiting to be served.”

“Oh, yeah. Service in here is pretty slow.”

“I guessed as much.” Gesturing to the empty bar stool next to Mulder, she asked, “Anyone sitting here?”

“No.” He shook his head and offered her a smile, which she had to say was particularly adorable.

Sitting down, she discreetly checked out the man beside her. He was dressed in a tux, as were most of the other agents attending the in-her-opinion too formal event, but boy was he pulling the look off. He was sat down at a stool but his legs were long and she guessed he was probably around six foot when stood up. His hair looked soft and she found the stray strands which fell onto his forehead utterly charming. His hazel-green eyes were deep and she couldn’t help but wonder what secrets were hidden behind them. She hadn’t actually seen him in person until tonight, but she’d heard someone else call him ‘Spooky’ earlier and she’d heard the rumours about him.

When the barman asked what Mulder wanted to drink, he ordered a beer and glanced at Rhadika. “What can the FBI get you?”

She shook her head in amusement but replied, “I’ll have a beer. Thanks.”

As the barman set about getting their drinks, Mulder sincerely told her, “I liked your version better than Abba’s.”

She smiled somewhat self-consciously. “Thank you. I’m not usually one for karaoke but I lost a bet with Agent Wilson.”

“What was the bet?”

She looked around before dropping her voice to a whisper, “If I tell you, you can’t tell anyone else.”

“Okay.” He leant in closer to hear her better. It was rare for anyone to confide anything in him, most of the other agents thought he was weird, or spooky.

“I bet her that Agent Peyton was gay.” Mulder laughed and she sighed. “I didn’t realise he was married with three kids.” Mulder laughed even harder. “Please don’t tell him.”

The barman handed over their drinks and headed off to serve someone else. Picking up one of the bottles, he handed it to her and told her, “Don’t worry, I think the guy is an asshole.”

“You do?” She accepted the drink and took a sip. “Why’s that? I don’t really know him very well.”

Taking a sip of his own drink, he replied, “We just don’t get on.”

Before either of them could say anything else, Frank walked over to them and lightly elbowed Mulder. “Still here Spooky? I thought you’d be too busy chasing little green men.”

Mulder stared at him, no trace of humour in his eyes. “Grey.”

“Excuse me?” His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Grey. You said green men, a Reticulan skin tone is actually grey.” His lips twisted into a smirk and Rhadika bit her lip to stop herself laughing.

“Are you being serious?” Frank stared intently at him trying to work out if he was joking.

“Yes I am. The skin tone on Reticula is grey, there’s no such thing as little _green_ men.”

“You’re insane, you know that?” His eyes narrowed.

Mulder was completely unfazed by this latest insult and simply nodded. “I’ve been told a few times, yeah.”

Turning his head to look at Rhadika, Frank asked, “Can you believe this guy?”

She carefully contemplated her answer, she could see why Mulder didn’t like the guy. Eventually she settled on, “Well, a lot of books portray aliens as being grey.” She offered a sweet smile.

“I don’t have time for this.” Shaking his head, Frank stomped off in the opposite direction.

Rhadika’s voice was completely deadpan, sarcasm lacing the words as she quipped, “What a charmer.”

“Yeah, he’s always like that.” Mulder chuckled.

She nodded. “I’m Rhadika, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you Rhadika By The Way.” He offered a teasing smile.

The sarcasm was evident in her voice. “Oh, ha ha. I’m Rhadika Dalloway.”

“I’m Fox Mulder.”

**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Looking up at the sky, Mulder sighed to himself. The worst part of attending new year parties was that he was pretty much always on his own at midnight. The countdown would be happening inside soon, everyone would gather around the large screen to watch as the fireworks and the famous Times Square ball-drop were projected onto it, hugging and kissing and looking forward to a new year. He was estranged from his father, his mother rarely spoke to him nowadays, and when she did he saw nothing but a mixture of sorrow and pity, and his sister was still missing with no evidence of what really happened to her. He had very few friends, and those he did have were paranoid and not the sort of people you could go to a bar for a drink with after work, he had no partner since his last one upped and left in search of bigger things when the job got tough and his string of ‘first-and-only’ dates was testament to how terrible he was at even attempting to maintain a relationship. He would bring in the new year the way he usually did, pity party for one.

“Hey, I wondered where you’d disappeared to.” Rhadika sat down next to him on the wall and glanced sideways at him. “Aren’t you coming back in for the countdown?”

He glanced sideways at her and forced a smile onto his lips. “It uh, it isn’t really my scene.”

“Come on, who doesn’t love the Times Square ball-drop?” She quirked an eyebrow and returned the smile, hers full of sincerity and warmth.

“I’m just not a big celebration person.” He looked away, purposefully trying to hide the sadness in his eyes.

She let his words sink in for a moment. His shoulders were slumped and he was clearly not in a partying mood, he looked a lot more troubled than he had earlier when they had been talking at the bar. Her voice was soft as she began, “Fox…”

Shaking his head, he cut her off with a humourless laugh. When she stared at him in confusion, he looked at her and explained, “I uh, I’m not a fan of my first name.”

“Okay, Mulder it is then.” She carefully rested a hand on his arm. “If this is about what happened earlier with Agent Peyton…”

“It isn’t. I can handle the nicknames and the rumours and comments.” He shook his head and managed to muster a more sincere smile. “But thank you for your concern.”

She slowly nodded but found she was at a loss for what to say to him. She had only met him a couple of hours earlier but she already felt oddly protective of him. He didn’t seem to have many friends, and she knew how hard it was being an outcast. She had been pretty lonely through school, only had three close friends and one of them had betrayed her as they got older.

Looking at his watch, he told her, “You should head back inside so you don’t miss it.”

“Miss what?”

“The countdown. The ball-drop. The fireworks.” He shot her a pointed look and teasingly added, “It’s new year’s eve, in case you’d forgotten.”

She chuckled and jokingly replied, “Oh is that why everyone’s dressed up and keeps talking about new starts?”

He nodded but gestured with his head towards the doors leading back into the function room from the courtyard they were sitting in. “Go on.”

She looked back at the doors, saw the agents and their significant others mingling inside, then looked back at Mulder, who was once again looking up at the stars. “I’m pretty comfortable here.”

He shot her a look of utter disbelief. They were sitting on a cold, uncomfortable wall and he knew she had to be feeling the chill, her dress may have had sleeves but it was pretty much backless. “I’ll be okay, you should go and find whoever you came with and ring in the new year with them.”

“One, I came here on my own, and two, it’s too crowded in there anyway.” She shrugged, not wanting him to feel guilty for the fact she was giving up a champagne toast and traditional new year celebration to sit out in the cold with him. As an afterthought, she added, “If you’d rather I gave you some peace and quiet then just let me know and I’ll get lost.”

“No, the company is nice.” His smile widened. “But you must be cold.”

“I’m not too bad.” She shook her head and fought the urge to shiver as she realised for the first time just how much the temperature had dropped.

He nodded but didn’t believe a word so he slipped his suit jacket off and held it out to her. When she opened her mouth to protest, he softly said, “If you insist on ringing in the new year out here with me, at least let me help you keep warm.” Realising how that had sounded, he groaned and quickly tried to correct, “What I mean is…”

“It’s okay.” She offered him a knowing smile and accepted the jacket, slipping it on and discreetly inhaling the scent of his aftershave. “Thank you.”

Looking at his watch again, an idea popped into his head. “Wait here.”

He was amazed when instead of questioning him, she simply nodded and trustingly said, “Okay.”

Standing up, he headed back into the function room. A couple of minutes later he returned and sat back down beside Rhadika, handing her a glass of champagne. When she quirked an eyebrow, he offered her a bright smile. “For midnight.”

Nodding, she accepted the glass. “So, I never got the chance to ask you before, which department do you work in?” She had heard rumours that he had been assigned a basement office to work on cases nobody else wanted, but he certainly seemed too intelligent for that. She had also heard that he used to be the FBI’s golden boy once upon a time, with a bright and promising career in the Violent Crimes Unit.

“I work on a…specialist project.”

“A specialist project?”

“Yeah. I uh, I was assigned the ‘X Files’ after I submitted a special request to the bureau.”

“The X Files?” She’d never heard of them.

“They’re cases that nobody else really wants. Cases that everyone else thinks aren’t worth their time.” He didn’t want to go too much into detail.

“But not you?”

“Every case is worth someone’s time.” He shot her a pointed look and she simply nodded in response. “How about you?” He certainly wasn’t going to admit to his earlier conversation about her with some of the other agents.

“Counterterrorism.” She tried to sound enthusiastic but it came out pretty flat.

He didn’t want to pry but he could have sworn she sounded pretty cold about it. “Do you enjoy it?”

She tried to decide on a suitable answer. She had only just met him, but he seemed trustworthy enough, and he was certainly being a gentleman tonight. “Not really. I don’t mind the job itself, but me and Agent Wilson are the only women in the division and the guys can be…well…”

“Assholes?” He smirked.

She chuckled and nodded. “Yeah. Me and Katrina get on really well, but we’re very different.” Mulder raised an eyebrow and she explained, “She loves all the attention she gets from the guys, I try to slip under the radar as best I can.”

“You don’t have a boyfriend then?” When she shot him a look, he held his free hand up in surrender. “There’s no ulterior motive behind that question, I was just making conversation.”

Her eyes softened as she laughed and took a sip of her champagne. “No, no boyfriend. How about you?”

“I don’t have a boyfriend either.”

“How about a girlfriend?”

“You offering?” He waggled his eyebrows but there was a teasing glint in his eyes.

Banter felt normal between them and she found herself smirking and asking, “You asking?”

Mulder laughed, he hadn’t felt this at ease with anyone for a long time. “I walked into that one.”

“Yes you did.”

“No, I don’t have a girlfriend.

“Me neither.”

As the countdown started from inside the building, the noise carrying out into the courtyard, Mulder quietly joined in. “Ten…nine…eight…seven…”

Rhadika also joined in. “Six…five…four…three…two…one…” As everyone inside the building called out ‘happy new year’, Rhadika clinked her glass against Mulder’s and offered him a bright, warm smile. “Happy new year Agent Mulder.”

Returning the smile with a dazzling one of his own, he whispered, “Happy new year Agent Dalloway.”

They both looked up at the sky as fireworks exploded overhead and Rhadika couldn’t help but comment, “I knew this would be nicer than spending it inside.”

**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Blevins didn’t even knock, instead he walked into the basement office and cleared his throat to attract Mulder’s attention. Looking up from the file he was reading, Mulder realised who had just walked in and stood up to greet him. “Sir, what brings you down here?”

“Agent Mulder.” Blevins nodded in greeting before asking, “Do you mind if I take a seat?”

“No, of course not.” Mulder sat back down in his chair and watched as his boss crossed the office and sat down opposite him.

“I know it’s been a few months since…” Trailing off, he shot Mulder a knowing look.

“Since Agent Fowley decided to transfer out?” He did his best to keep the bitterness out of his voice but judging by the look on Blevins’ face, he was pretty sure he had failed.

“Yes. I think it’s time you were assigned a new partner.” His stare was intense, almost daring Mulder to challenge his decision.

If there was one thing Mulder loved, it was a challenge. “With the greatest respect sir, the bureau has expressed no concern about my welfare as a solo agent for the last six and a half months, may I ask what’s changed now?”

“It isn’t your place to ask me to justify my actions, and I have no plans on doing so. Your new partner will be down later on today.” Mulder opened his mouth to object but Blevins shot him straight down. “This is not negotiable Agent Mulder.”

“Who is it?”

“A relatively new agent, with very little field experience. I would appreciate if you would follow correct protocol, I would rather you didn’t corrupt other agents.” Getting to his feet, he headed for the door.

Before Blevins left the office, Mulder had to ask, “Why are you trusting me not to play the bad influence?”

“I’m not. I would rather this agent weren’t assigned to the X Files. It is my opinion they would be better off in another unit like Violent Crimes, or Laboratory Services.”

“Then why assign them to me?”

“They were pretty insistent.” Shaking his head, he walked out of the room.

As Mulder leant back in his chair, he couldn’t help but wonder who the hell would actually want to a. work in the basement on what most thought was a dead-end project and b. work with ‘Spooky’ Mulder. Whoever it was must have a screw loose, which actually meant they would probably fit in well down there. Of course, there was always the chance Blevins was lying to him and that the new partner has been assigned to spy on him. To debunk his work and have the X Files shut down. The more he thought about it, the more the second option seemed more plausible.

**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Mulder didn’t look up as he heard a knock at the door. Blevins had said his new partner would be down later that day and he had been expecting the knock any time now. “Nobody down here but the FBI’s most unwanted!”

The door slowly opened and she walked into the office. Looking around, her eyes fell on the poster behind Mulder’s desk, a poster of a UFO with the words ‘I Want to Believe’ emblazoned across it. The office was a mess of filing cabinets, book cases and cork boards. In one corner was a desk, which was equally messy, and in another was a table, which Mulder was currently hunched over, his back to the door.

Before she could say anything, Mulder, who still had his back to her, mumbled, “Welcome to the basement.”

“Thank you, I think.” She chuckled, a little more nervous than she had wanted.

He could have sworn he recognised that voice and finally spun his chair around to look at the person it belonged to. He was surprised to find Rhadika standing just inside the doorway. “Agent Dalloway, sorry, I was expecting someone else.”

She felt her heart skip a beat at the sight in front of her. He had looked good in his tux at the new year party but damn did he look hot right now. His shirt sleeves were rolled up and his tie still hung around his neck but it had been loosened so that he could undo his top button. A pair of round glasses were perched on his nose and his hair was messy, she presumed from him running his hands through it as he worked. She suddenly found herself wondering what it would be like to run her hands through that hair, to gently tug it as he gasped against her skin. Pushing the wholly inappropriate thoughts out of her head, she managed to get out a teasing, “Sorry to disappoint.”

Offering her a smile, he shook his head and silently marvelled that even in work-wear she still looked beautiful. She was dressed in a black blue, knee-length pencil dress and a grey blazer jacket, which fitted pretty damn well. On her feet she wore a pair of black heels and he couldn’t help but think she chose heels to make herself appear taller than she actually was. He guessed she had probably been wearing heels at the new year party under her floor length dress, again for the same reason. What shocked him the most was that an image of that dress lying on his bedroom floor suddenly flashed through his head as he imagined it falling off her hips. Forcing himself to focus on her face, and stop the highly inappropriate thoughts currently running wild, he asked, “What can I do for you?”

Ignoring his question, she walked into the office, closing the door behind her. Sitting down in one of the chairs opposite his desk, she asked, “Who were you expecting?”

He sighed. “My new partner.”

“You don’t look especially pleased to be getting one.”

“I’m not, but I have no choice. Blevins says they asked for the assignment, I think he’s lying.”

“Why would he do that?” Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Because they want to put an end to the X Files.”

“How would giving you a new partner put an end to them?” She really wasn’t seeing where his train of thought was going.

“I think he’s assigned whoever it is to spy on me and report back.” He knew he sounded paranoid.

Despite how insane his theory sounded, she nodded. “Hmm, I guess I can see your concerns.”

“You can?”

“Kind of. I mean, I’m not going to lie to you, you sound a little…” She tried to think of a suitable word but when she came up with nothing, she voiced her original thought. “Crazy.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot.” There was no hurt in his eyes, instead there was an amused twinkle.

“You never know, you might like whoever it is. Is it a man or a woman?” Leaning back in the chair, she crossed one leg over to the over.

“I don’t actually know, Blevins didn’t say. I doubt I will like them. I’ve been told more than once that I don’t play well with other agents.” He too made himself more comfortable, removing his glasses and placing them on the table beside him.

“Maybe you should try harder.” She shot him a pointed look. She’d only spent one evening in his company but she was pretty sure he would take the comment as intended, they seemed to click pretty well.

“Nobody wants to actively work with me. I’m not the most popular guy around here. Besides, I had a bad experience with the last partner and I have no desire to have another one.” He returned the look with one of his own, which then softened as he quipped, “Anyway, you didn’t answer my question.”

“What question would that be?”

“What are you doing here?” He quickly added, “Not that it isn’t lovely to have a visit from you.” He had spent one evening with her for new year, before they had parted ways to get their own respective taxis home, but it had been long enough for him to hope that maybe one day she would pay him a visit or stop him in the hallway to chat.

Her smile widened as she answered, “I’m your new partner.”

“Excuse me?” He was certain he had misheard her.

“I’m your new partner.” She stared at him evenly, no trace of humour in her eyes.

“You?” She nodded. “You are the one who apparently asked to be assigned?”

“Yep. And for the record, I really did ask. I’m not a spy, though I do have to write reports.”

“Why?” He realised what an ass he sounded so continued, “From what I’ve heard, you could have a promising career in the FBI.”

“Thank you.” She was slightly taken aback by the comment. “After our little new year celebration I did a little research and found out you are one of the best profilers the bureau has ever seen, probably one of the best agents too.” She averted her gaze, feeling a little embarrassed as she admitted, “I wanted to learn from the best so I asked to be assigned to the X Files.”

He wasn’t sure how to reply, she had actually managed to render him speechless. Eventually he decided he needed to give her an out, she seemed like a genuinely nice person and he didn’t want her becoming ‘Mrs Spooky’, trapped in the basement with him forever. “I’m flattered, really I am, but if you want to work your way up then I’m probably not the partner for you. My work isn’t exactly…respected.”

“What are you trying to say Agent Mulder?”

He sighed, their eyes meeting again as he continued, “These cases are viewed as dead-end, nobody else wants them. My work is considered pointless and unconventional. If you choose to come and work in the basement, there’s a big chance nobody up there will respect you any more.”

“You told me on new year’s eve that every case is worth someone’s time.”

He nodded and couldn’t help but smile a little at the fact she had remembered that. “I did, and I meant that, but these cases will hold you back professionally.”

“What about personally?” Her voice was so soft he almost missed it.

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t join the FBI to prove to others that I could do it. I joined to prove to myself that I have what it takes. I don’t give a rat’s ass what other people think about me or call me.” Her voice was completely unwavering and sincerity sparkled in the captivating eyes that had grabbed his attention on new year’s eve.

He smiled and when she smiled back, he knew he was in trouble. She was the perfect combination of smart, sexy, stubborn and vulnerable. He knew she would challenge him in ways he hadn’t even thought possible…and he was a sucker for a challenge. “We leave for Oregon tomorrow morning.”


End file.
